Overview

• The Defense Commissary Agency released a Request for Information on Sept. 19 seeking feedback from commercial grocers and investors on taking over 178 stores in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, with responses due Oct. 21.
• The inquiry asks whether operators can run the stores with no or materially reduced government support while preserving the commissary benefit of a 23.7% average savings for authorized patrons.
• The RFI details a facilities maintenance backlog requiring a one-time $2.4 billion investment or $500 million annually for five years, in addition to roughly $250 million in annual upkeep.
• If privatization proceeds, the government indicates stores could be offered to an operator rent free and in as‑is condition, subject to terms of any agreement.
• Advocacy groups, including the Military Officers Association of America, caution that privatization could undercut a key cost-of-living benefit for military families, especially in remote communities.